Top bulldog says his Fink farewell

The laudatory efforts of the Melbourne AFL community to farewell the soon to retire Federal Court judge Ray Finkelstein have continued.

The “Fink", as he’s universally known among the legal fraternity, got a couple of fawning letters from Carlton and Collingwood captains Chris Judd and Nick Maxwell recently, and yesterday got another one – from Western Bulldogs leader Matthew Boyd, who said: “Unlike the captains of those aforementioned clubs, I have not presumed to address you in an insulting or derisory way."

Boyd also went with some self-deprecating humour, saying: “I have spent a little time on the bench myself . . . before getting into the real action when the coach thought I’d sufficiently matured, and I’m pleased to see that the Federal Court match committee now thinks you’re ‘ready’."

Judd also had a subtle dig at the Fink’s one-game football career, leading Boyd to say: “I suppose it’s easy for a guy like Judd to be flippant about your football career. [But] we judge everyone on their merits, which I heard was also your approach as a judge."

We don’t know where this ends, as there’s another seven AFL clubs in Victoria yet to write to the Fink.